Sghtings: 2009 BET Awards

The stars came out over the weekend at this year's BET Awards to celebrate their peers for their accomplishments in music, sports and film.
As always, the red carpet was the perfect setting for celebs to show off their designer get-ups and flashy jewelry. Of course, there were a number of JBH sightings in the building.

Trey Songz

R&B cutie pie crooner, Trey songs hit the carpet looking dapper in white. He lit up the room with a "Brown Steel" Hubris timepiece and diamond ring.


Tatyana Ali

Miss Tatyana was serving it in a pair of custom Jason of Beverly Hills earrings with a matching bracelet. The white and cognac diamonds work in perfect harmony with her stunning bronze dress. She looked amazing.




Soulja Boy

And finally we have Soulja Boy Tellem. He turned his swag on with a black diamond Hercules watch.




Good looks all around! ~vK

Friday Fire: Black Angel Wings Ring

So, about a month ago we did a feature on Rihanna's gorgeous "Angel Wings Ring". Here's a version of the same ring in black.
I'm definitely feeling this one; the black diamonds (which seems to be everyones fave these days) gives it a more edgy look.
Purdy. ~vK

In Memory of Michael Jackson

R.I.P MICHAEL JACKSON

1958-2009

A remarkable performer, an incomparable legacy,

an unbelievable loss. ~vK

vK's Kudos: The NLV Quant by Koenigsegg

Today we tip our hats to Swedish supercar manufacturer Koenigsegg for their new concept car, The Quant. Just when you thought eco-friendly whips were just for hippies and LA squares, Koenigsegg presented this four seater, solar electric luxury car at this years Geneva car show.
More recently, it has been reported that these beauties are closer than ever to going into actual production due to Koenigsegg's purchase of Saab.

--side eyeing your Prius

The Quant delivers a 0 to 100 km/h in 5.2 seconds with a top speed of 275 km/h. I don't know where anyone would be headed to driving that fast, but at the very least, you'd be cited in style.

That is, if the blue boys could catch you. ~vK

Laker Nation!

It wouldn't be right if i didn't shout out my Lakers on their win over Orlando! I did say that they would take it in Game 5. If you were among the almost 100,000 people in downtown Los Angeles for the victory parade, you surely felt the insane amount of energy and love brought on by Laker fans for their home team.

Congratulations guys!

Check out this clip of the Lakers on Jimmy Kimmel Live. These dudes got jokes; especially DJ Mbenga. He's flashing something special on his wrist from JBH too (wink). ~vK

Hot Item of the Week: 6/8/09

We've received many requests at JBH for close up shots of our more elaborate pieces, so I've decided to do a weekly segment featuring some of Jason's latest creations.

Today's hot item belongs to rapper/producer Ke'Noe. The black diamond trend is pretty major these days...

Send inquiries on this piece and others to info@jasonofbh.com

Barack Obama's....BLING??

No. Your eyes are not deceiving you. That is your awesome Commander in Chief getting dripped with a gold rope that would put your favorite rapper to shame.

"The Ba-rack" has been receiving the royal treatment from King Abdullah on his recent trip to Saudi Arabia. Upon his arrival, he was presented with the King Abdul Aziz Order of Merit, an outrageous gold necklace and medallion. And this isn't just any old piece and chain; it is known to be the countries highest honor to receive one of these. Goldstar.

Abdullah tells Obama, "Those are only given to the very few friends of the king, and you are certainly one of those". Apparently, the word is still out on whether or not Dubya Bush ever got one of these...

I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but smile when I spotted this sweet photo op last night. I would have given my first born if he had thrown up "the Roc", lol. ~vK

Birthstones- June

Alexandrites vs Pearls

Those born in the month of June have the privilege of choosing from one of two birthstones commonly associated with this month: the Alexandrite or the Pearl.

Alexandrite stones were discovered around 1830 in the Ural mountains of Russia and named after the czar of that period, Alexander II. What makes these gems so special, is there ability to change colors in different lighting situations. They range from an almost emerald green in natural sunlight, to a smouldering reddish-purple hue when hit by incandescent light. They are some of the rarest, most expensive gemstones and are quite fab in my opinion.

But more widely known as the birthstone for June babies are milky white Pearls.

Born of a less than attractive source, pearls are naturally grown inside of oysters. A protective substance inside their shells called "nacre" is produced when an irritant, like a grain of sand or pieces of tiny sea creatures gets lodged inside of them. Over time, the nacre covers the foreign object with many layers that eventually harden, and Voila'; You have a shiny new pearl.

The natural process can be assisted with the help of man to make what are called cultured pearls. About 90% of the worlds pearls are grown by someone actually placing a small piece of shell inside a mollusk. A large part of the cultured pearl industry is found in Japan and Australia where they are harvested in their coastal waters. They vary in color such as pinks, soft yellows, grey, black and pure white.

While pearls have their In and Out moments in fashion, it seems as though the second they appear to become dated and out of style, they are brought back to life. Sarah Jessica Parker revived the look in her role as Carrie in last summer's hit "Sex and the City- The Movie". She had everyone, running to Mikimoto for the $11,900 opera length string of pearls to add a touch of class to their outfits.

I swear she never took them off-- I'll never forget the scene where she wore them to bed in her underwear.

I mean really; who doesn't wear their baubles to bed? ~vK

Million dollar jewelry heist in Paris!

Chopard store in Paris

Sacrebleu! A successful one man heist went down at the Chopard boutique in Paris over the weekend resulting in over 8.5 million dollars worth of missing jewelry. Like something straight form a Parker novel, the prestigious jewelry store was cleaned out by a slick character who strongly believes in the "five finger discount".

"The man, in his 50s, dressed in a suit and wearing a Borsalino-style hat passed himself off as a customer to get in through the security door before drawing his weapon.
He ordered staff to give him jewels from the window display.
They did as they were told and the man got away on foot, the whole robbery having taken two minutes.
Staff in nearby stores in the Place Vendome told reporters they had noticed nothing out of the ordinary at the time.
Late today, only a few leather handbags could be seen in the shop's window."

Source: RTE.ie

Ouch. I'm clutching my pearls as we speak.

That's exactly why JBH doesn't allow just anybody to come waltzing into our appointment-only showroom.

You don't want to dance with the burly security at the door either. ~vK

Diamonds Are...

Shirley Bassey: "Diamonds Are Forever"

Diamonds are forever,

They are all I need to please me,

They can stimulate and tease me,

They won't leave in the night,

I've no fear that they might desert me.

Diamonds are forever,

Hold one up and then caress it,

Touch it, stroke it and undress it,

I can see every part,

Nothing hides in the heart to hurt me.

I don't need love,

For what good will love do me?

Diamonds never lie to me,

For when love's gone,

They'll luster on.

Diamonds are forever,

Sparkling round my little finger.

Unlike men, the diamonds linger;

Men are mere mortals who

Are not worth going to your grave for.

I don't need love,

For what good will love do me?

Diamonds never lie to me,

For when love's gone,

They'll luster on.

Diamonds are forever, forever, forever.

Diamonds are forever, forever, forever.

Forever and ever.

Truer words have never been spoken. ~vK

Press: Wall Street Journal puts fake jewelry on blast

Well, it was only a matter of time before the "Bling" wars took it to the next level.

Once upon a time, a guy could get away with a Herringbone or two and he was the man. If you had gold rope (or five), you were certified. Fast forward to '98 and it was mandatory to stay iced up. "If it cost less than twenty it don't look right on me"-- BG, Cash Money Millionaires

Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, people lost sight of what it meant to rock real jewelry because now it's all about BIGGER and FLASHIER with no substance. With the suspect-fruity pebble-jewels that are floating around the club, in the latest music videos and on hip hop blogs these days, it has become clear that folks have been getting away with wearing pieces that are, shall we say, not so fresh.

Until now.
My heart leaped when I read a recent article in the Wall Street Journal titled: "Culture of Bling Clangs to Earth as the Recession Melts Rappers' Ice". I suppose it took the recession to finally put the foolishness on blast-- Long overdue. (click here for the full article)

In a nutshell, the article spoke on how many people are dooping their fans and peers because lets face it; everyone seems to be "blinging", but not everyone's pieces are legit. But once again, guys have found a way to literally "outshine" their opponents by calling out those wearing fake jewels.

Not mentioning any names, but rappers have gotten tech savvy with their dissing by bringing out diamond testers to prove the validity of their stones. Drum roll please...
My hopes are that this will eventually put an end to all of the hallow boasting among grown men with something to prove. Owning a dozen glittery chains is nothing to brag about when it's a lie. One day we can get back to appreciating the beauty and rarity of precious stones as well as fine craftsmanship that goes into making the unbelievable pieces that are made for those that can afford it appeal to quality over quantity.

Jason of Beverly Hills believes in a fine balance of both. More and more diamond lovers are seeking out jewelers who only specialize in the OFFICIAL. I'd expect nothing less from a real boss.

Your thoughts on this? ~vK

Sightings: Rihanna

Paparazzi darling, Rihanna has been spotted over the last few weeks wearing one of her favorite new accessories. It's the diamond "Angel Wings" ring made by Jason of Beverly Hills.

This piece is a great addition to add a little sparkle to any outfit. As you see, RihRih can glam it up with her feisty ensembles, but it's also a cute look to rock with your kick-back gear.

Take it from one who knows: you can never be too casual for diamonds.

This girl can do no wrong when it comes to fashion.

I'm coming for your closet honey. ~vK

RE-WIND- How to build a $140,000 toy

For those of you that missed the post I did a few months back on the Hot Wheels 4 Billionth car, here's an awesome video we got from BaderTV.com.

It shows the making of the actual piece, made by Jason of Beverly Hills. If you've ever been curious as to how some of our finest pieces are made, just check the vid. It's quite impressive.

(Nice hat Jed) ~vK

Rare blue diamond sells for record 9.5 MILLION

GENEVA (Reuters) - A flawless vivid blue diamond weighing 7.03 carats sold Tuesday for a record 10.5 million Swiss francs ($9.49 million), the highest price paid per carat for any gemstone at auction, Sotheby's said.
The rectangular-shaped blue stone, the rarest to enter the international market this year, went to an anonymous buyer bidding by telephone after hectic bidding see-sawed between two callers for 15 minutes.
It was the centrepiece of its semi-annual sale in Geneva, conducted by David Bennett, chairman of Sotheby's jewelry department in Europe and the Middle East, who said the results showed the market's resilience despite the economic downturn.
"This is already a new world record price for a fancy vivid blue diamond and a new world record per carat for any gemstone (at auction)," Bennett told reporters.
"It is fantastic in this market and shows that these rare things are very much in demand," he said.
The final price includes a commission paid by the buyer to the auction house. The stone sets a record price per carat for any gemstone sold at auction of $1,349,752, Sotheby's said.
The previous record price for a fancy vivid blue diamond was $7.9 million, including commission, for a stone weighing 6.04 carats at sale in Hong Kong in October 2007, also by Sotheby's.

Source: Reuters, see full story here

I put my bid in too, I was this close (wink) ~~vK

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